


Ballet

by F1_rabbit



Series: The ABCs of Winter [2]
Category: Formula 1 RPF, Motorcycling RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Ballet, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-02
Updated: 2016-12-02
Packaged: 2018-09-03 19:17:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8727025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/F1_rabbit/pseuds/F1_rabbit
Summary: Dany wants the lead role in their upcoming production of Swan Lake, but he's aware that he's just a little bit taller than the other ballet dancers.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jashasedai](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jashasedai/gifts).



Dany had loved ballet, ever since he was a little boy, and for the longest time it was his dream to be part of the national ballet.

Then he hit nineteen, and he started growing. A lot.

He'd gone from being a nice height for a male ballet lead, to tall, and then ridiculously tall, in less than a year.

And with all that extra height, it had made it harder to find a full-time job that wasn't teaching.

He'd settle for teaching, but it wasn't his dream.

***

Dany groaned as his alarm went off, and he squinted at the clock to see that it was five in the morning, which meant it was time to train.

It was still dark out, it wouldn't be light for hours this close to Christmas, and he grabbed his gym bag, rushing out of the door.

He felt a strange sense of satisfaction at the fact that he was the first person to leave footsteps in the pristine snowfall, the crunch underfoot changing tone as he varied his step, skipping and hopping his way to work as the rest of the world slept.

Dany's smile faded when he stepped through the door, his love for ballet had never waned, but his fellow dancers were all trying his patience. They were all short, to him anyway, and they were a much more appropriate height for a male ballet lead. He knew it wasn't their fault that they were nicely proportioned, a quirk of genetics, but it didn't stop the feeling of envy from plaguing his thoughts.

It was annoying to be challenged by something that he had no control over, and yet he just had to the best with the body that he had. He planned to show them all how talented he was, by securing the role of the Swan Princess.

There had been much mirth when their ballet company's artistic director had decided that Swan Lake would be their next production, since they were an all-male group, but Dany relished the challenge.

He headed to the changing rooms to see Marc and Dani already in their leggings, ready to practice.

"Morning."

Dany smiled when he saw Marc's cheery grin, and Dani laughed at the fact that Marc could be this cheery so early in the morning. Although if the empty cans of Red Bull were anything to go by, he was already on to his third can, and they were in for a long day of training with a hyperactive Marc.

At least it would make things more interesting.

Jorge was the last one in, his shades covering the bags under his eyes, but from the stamp on the back of his hand he'd clearly been clubbing last night, and it would be lunchtime before he perked up.

Dany felt freakishly tall as he followed the three of them through to the hall, their breath hanging in the air as the fluorescent lights flickered.

As they were warming up Dany and the others got all the details as the younger dancers tried to discreetly eavesdrop.

"Did you meet anyone cute?" Dani said, nudging Jorge as he was stretching and knocking him off balance, which only made Dani smile more.

"Some guy, I don't remember his name." Jorge gave Dani a cheeky wink just to see Dani pout and Marc howled with laughter, startling Dani and making everyone else jump in fright as it echoed around the room, bouncing off the hard floors and mirrored walls.

Dany was glad for the company, and he spent the day trying to catch the attention of the instructor, hoping that they would see his potential.

It was a long day, but Dany loved every second of it. There was something euphoric about being in the zone, every movement an automatic reflex as all the muscles in his body worked as one.

The instructor dismissed them with little more than a wave of the hand.

"Have a nice break guys. Auditions will be held after the holidays, if you have any questions come and see me."

Dany glided across the hall, his long legs allowing him to intercept the instructor, and from the look on his face the instructor hadn't expected anyone to have any questions.

"Do you think I could play the Swan Princess?" Dany was aware that his eyes were wide, and his hands were clasped together, like a child begging their parent for another cookie.

The instructor looked up at him, craning his neck, and that action alone said it all.

"You're too tall to be lifted, and yet you're too lanky to lift anyone else." The instructor paused for dramatic effect as the little dancers gathered round, sensing the drama in the air. "Try lifting Marc."

Dany smiled, Marc was short, which meant he should be light. It was going to be easy.

He stood behind Marc, in position to lift him so that he could straddle his shoulder, and he got him as far as his chest before Marc wriggled, throwing them both off balance and making Dany drop him back to the ground.

"I think you'd be better off looking for a more suitable profession."

Dany didn't even dignify it with a response, he walked out with his head held high. He didn't even bother to get changed as he slung his jacket over his leotard and leggings, his giant trainers mocking him as he saw how big his footprints in the snow were compared to the other dancers.

He was a giant in the land of ballet dancers, and that felt awful. His whole life had been leading up to this point, and now he was at a dead end.

Dany spent the walk home with it all swirling through his head, and he found himself in the park. Its pristine lawn was covered by a thick layer of snow, and Dany marvelled at all the tiny footprints that were dotted around as a rabbit scurried past, hopping and leaping gracefully on their way to meet their rabbit friends.

He slung his bag to the ground, finding out his ballet shoes and changing into them, not caring the moist snow was soaking into his underwear as he sat on the ground.

The crisp air stung his cheeks, making him feel alive as he danced his heart out, his rage subsiding as the snow started to fall around him. He felt like a ballerina in a snow globe, the air sparkling as the sun set and the eerie glow of the moon shone down on him.

By the time that he wandered home, he felt calm, until he saw that Marc, Dani, and Jorge were sitting on his doorstep waiting for him.

"I'm sorry." Marc ran up for a hug, standing on his tiptoes to wrap his arms around Dany's neck, and Dany picked him up, hoisting him onto his shoulder effortlessly. Dany was tempted to tickle him, but the cold, hard concrete floor wouldn't be kind if he was to drop Marc.

"You are forgiven." Dany resisted the urge to let out a sigh, but it was how he felt right now. Deflated.

He fumbled with the key for the lock, his fingers numb from being outside for so long in so few clothes.

At least he had someone to cook for him, as after the day he'd had, the odds were he would have gone to bed without any dinner.

Dany's flat was so cold that the four of them ended up in his bed, eating pasta, with a small mountain of blankets draped over them.

"You know the instructor just likes feeling superior, he treats everyone that way." Dani gave him a nudge, before stifling a yawn as he stretched.

Marc grinned, and Dany knew that look, he was plotting something.

"I have a friend, he's a tall dancer, like you."

Dany nodded, wondering where Marc was going with it.

"And he's going to be moving here, he left his old company when he split with his boyfriend, who was also the director."

"And…" Dany gestured for Marc to get to the point, but his grin said that he was enjoying it all a little too much.

"He needs somewhere to live, and you have a spare bed…"

Dany rolled his eyes, although no-one ever managed to say no to Marc, he was just too cheery and nice.

"But." Marc held his hand up, and Dany froze. "He's also tall enough to lift your lanky body."

Dany tried to kick Marc under the duvet, but there was too many limbs tangled together, and he didn't want to annoy anyone else today. He glanced at Dani, checking that he wasn't jealous, although Dani knew he was a lucky man to have a boyfriend like Marc.

"His flight gets in first thing tomorrow morning." Marc scribbled down a name, and a time, and Dany wondered how he'd ended up agreeing to this without even saying a word.

But if it meant that he had a shot at getting the part he wanted, he'd gladly host Marc's friend.

*

Dany was shivering as he stood at the airport, a name scribbled on a piece of paper, although he doubted that it was his real name. His parents would have to be really cruel to have named him Hulk.

He scanned the crowd, looking for someone taller than him, until he realised that Marc's idea of tall, and his idea of tall, were two very different things.

Dany was sure that Marc had given him the wrong time, his idea of a prank to get him out of bed early on the one day that he didn't have to be.

Then he saw a tall blond man, just from the way he walked Dany was sure that he was a ballet dancer, and he put the sign down, but not before he'd seen it.

"Marc's friend?" Nico went in for a hug as Dany nodded, and Dany found himself feeling at ease, it was going to be good to have some company over the holidays, especially since he was so far away from his family.

"Dany."

Nico shook his hand, which seemed oddly formal after such a long hug, but Dany was just glad that he had warm hands.

"Thanks for doing this, I guess Marc told you everything?"

"He gave me the gist of it." Dany wasn't sure what else to say, if it was him in that position, he wouldn't want everyone to know.

Nico nodded as Dany led him to the car park, the early morning sun barely peeking over the horizon.

The drive back to his flat was quiet, it was clear that jet lag was catching up with Nico, and he dozed in the passenger seat as the sun rose, his blond hair shimmering in the golden light.

*

Dany gave him the tour of his tiny flat, and Nico had offered to cook breakfast. He couldn't remember the last time that he'd had pancakes, the warm syrup oozing over them

Nico ate with such speed that Dany wondered how he stayed in shape, but he got his answer when he finished the last of his pancakes, downing his cold coffee to give himself a boost.

"Are you ready to rehearse?"

Dany grinned, Marc had clearly told Nico everything about him, and he was glad to see Nico was every bit as determined to get the lead role as he was.

Nico was a comical sight wrapped up in three jackets as they wandered down to the park, the streets still quiet as the rest of the world slept peacefully, enjoying their Sunday lie-in. It made Dany feel energised, the rustle of the trees and the sounds of nature were the only music that he needed.

The rabbits dashed between the trees as they warmed up, Nico looking amused that they were outside rather than in the dance hall.

They got into position, and Dany smiled as stared at Nico, his cheeks pink as his glasses steamed up with Dany's warm breath on his face. It took them a while to get into a rhythm, but once they did, Dany felt like it was meant to be, and he could already picture himself in the role.

It was his for the taking.

*

For the next week, while everyone else was on holiday, Dany and Nico rehearsed tirelessly every day, preparing for the auditions.

On the last day of the holiday, after they finished practicing for the day, Marc and the others came over for dinner.

Dany was cooking for everyone, although his main challenge had been stopping Nico from eating it all before it was ready, and Marc was sitting in the kitchen with him, chatting away about how he'd been home to visit his family.

"And Dani and I found time to rehearse for the auditions."

Dany turned to look at Marc, he didn't have to ask what parts they were auditioning for, Marc and Dani wouldn't settle for anything less than the lead roles. "Good luck."

The rest of the dinner was strained, Dany trying to mask his frown, which was a challenge at the best of times.

But he wasn't fooling Nico, once the others had left, Dany heard a soft knock at his door, and Nico peered round.

"I just wanted to see if you were okay, you were quiet tonight."

"Marc and Dani are auditioning."

"They're good, but they're not as good as us." Nico wandered in, sitting on the edge of the bed as Dany let out a groan.

"They're the right height for ballet dancers." Dany slumped down further, burying himself in the duvet as Nico shuffled closer.

"So? Talent has nothing to do with height." Nico wrapped Dany up in his arms, his warm skin like fire against him.

"They have an advantage because they're dating." Dany wasn't sure why he thought it was a factor, but the fact that they were so comfortable with each other had to give them an edge.

He wasn't expecting Nico to lean in for a kiss, his soft lips kissing away all his worries as he held him tight.

"Now we have that advantage too," Nico said, and Dany smiled, he was warm and snug, safe in his boyfriend's arms.

*

The audition had gone well, perfect in fact, but Dany had stayed to watch Marc and Dani, and the nerves had set in.

Dany spent hours waiting for the cast list to go up, and Nico had sat beside him, holding his hand as he tried to get him to relax.

When the list finally went up Dany leapt over, pushing his way through the crowd, and when he saw who was playing the leads, he froze.

He was still silent when Nico came over, and Nico looked disappointed, until he saw the names.

Nico twirled Dany around, his grin shining out as Marc and Dani came up to congratulate them.

"I knew you could do it."

**Author's Note:**

> *and obviously none of this actually happened, it is all a figment of my twisted imagination ;)


End file.
